"0 send out Thy light and Thy truth" ; Anthem
for four Voices and Chorus. "Let all those that seek Thee" ; Anthem for two Voices and Chorus. " The day is dark and dreary" ; Romance. All composed by J. Lodge Ellerton, Esq.
Mr. Lodge Ellerton has long been known in the musical world as an amateur of extraordinary talents and attainments, and as the author of many pieces, both vocal and instrumental, which would do honour to any of our professional composers. The above two anthems have great merit. They are in a simple style ; the solo passages are very melodious, and in the choral parts, the harmonies are pure, rich, and solemn. In their composition the author has taken for his models the works of Croft, Boyce, and the other great ecclesiastical writers of the last century. He has, however, fallen occasionally into the besetting sin of English composers, insufficient attention to the emphasis of words. He says, for instance, "Why art thou so heavy ? " putting the emphatic word " why " to the unaccented note before the bar ; and this is repeated over and over again, giving great feebleness to the phrase. He commits the same error in the emphasis of the word " Thou art my helper," where the accent should evidently have been on " thou," instead of " art." These things, in- deed, are often to be found in Handel but he was a foreigner.
The romance, the poetry of which is by Longfellow, is a beautiful little thing The melancholy character of the verses is perfectly pre- served in the sweet and simple melody ; the accent and emphasis of every syllable being carefully observed. Several effective modulations give much expression to the air.
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